Variable N
by ChiptuneImpulse
Summary: Ghestis plans took over 20 years in the making. It was all thanks to the efforts in Kanto by a man named Bill.
1. Ghestis' Plan

20 years ago, 14 years before the events of Sinnoh...

* * *

><p>Within a small house in Anvill town, listening to a radio sat Ghestis; a man with a long sleeved white shirt, long unkempt green hair and khakis with open toed slippers. He was listening to a new device which spread the same electromagnetic waves that were used to prevent pokemon from evolving called a radio.<p>

The world was changing.

"In Kanto bio-eingeneering was a booming industry," the radio said with some static coming out of it.

"The first cyber pokemon had been made and because of that a unknown computer scientist by the name of Bill invented a storage system for trainers so that pokemon can be kept in there. No longer will trainers need to carry 10 or more pokemon in their balls on a belt!"

Ghestis smirked.

If he could...break...the system, he could potentially steal other pokemon and be the only force on the planet WITH pokemon.

...His pupils shrank and he stood up.

A small smile cracked on his face.

This epiphany was going to help him reach a goal; to change the world.

He needed power and flew on his Hydregion to Nacrene City's library to do research...

He paid the fee to enter and read a book about the legends of Unova.

Two dragons, one power, one pure hero.

He needed a hero to awaken the dragon but he knew his intentions were not pure, he needed a child...

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

An underground castle made of lime and stone, the interior a rich black and gold marble which lead to more halls and floors of varying material like rocks and soothing waterfalls flowing from the top floor, where the throne was. All of this under the pokemon league headquarters.

A castle 15 years in the making, patiently built by humans and pokemon all for one being...

Within laid a "prince" in his "bedroom."

His bedroom was more of a play room, with a single window that had jail bars on it.

The floor was just a carpet of clouds, the walls checkered patterns were shades of pink and the ceiling was black so that whenever the prince slept, glow in the dark stars that were on the ceiling shone.

Sleeping under this imitation of the milky way lay a young growing boy with long light green hair which reached to his waist and wore a simple black V trim shirt, light gray sweatpants and white socks.

He had been lying on a Zororak, a black fur pokemon with long red hair, long as the prince's and they were sleeping in warm embrace, the poor boy had no bed and merely used the mass of his pokemon as a pillow.

For as long as he could remember he was taken care of in the castle and was claimed to have had hurt his head playing outside and not remembering his roots.

The Sages, the advisers for the prince, all old men wearing the colors of the rainbow, were tasked with teaching the boy about the world and how to use pokemon in battle.

For 16 long years he had been kept indoors and only allowed outside with a retainer or a chaperone and that was only on to trips to the pokecenter on how to use the PC and buy stuff and heal.

Since he could remember, he had two human friends to help him when he wasn't learning and those two were Corcondia and Athena.

They had to babysit him and make sure that he was calm and never rebellious or throwing a fit.

They were like a mother to him and he accepted that he had no parents despite the fact that Ghestis refused to be addressed as his father.

He saw the misery in Corcondia and Athena's eyes as they were helping others and were forced indoors like he had.

He longed for the day to leave the dreary castle.


	2. N's Journey

N had dreamt, he tried calling out to a figure with a mask but the figure vanished before him with a bow.

He called out the unknown person's name and awoke quickly running into the light after that figure.

* * *

><p>He blinked and noticed that Zoroark was still sleeping.<p>

He looked around the room.

The toys were still orderly and things were the way they were...

Minus the dart in the portrait.

He sighed.

He had been having the same dream lately.

He had asked Ghestis what it meant but Ghestis told him to be not have doubt for when he became the hero.

He agreed and told the girls.

They said dreams were a natural part of life and that everyone got them from a past memory or event from the day but lately all he had been doing was waiting for the time to leave...

His thoughts were interrupted by one of the seven sages entering his room and telling him to change into a robe.

The sage left and N looked down on the garb.

This was his ticket to leaving this castle and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

After the ceremony where he made a small speech to help pokemon, he was told to go to Accumula Town and gather a crowd to listen to Ghestis' speech.

Before leaving Corcondia and Athena gave me a change of clothes as a birthday kiss. They each gave him a peck on the cheek and he thanked them.

They told him to enjoy the outside world and he promised to share all that he could with them.

Now left alone in front of his room, one of the shadow triad asked if he was ready to leave.

Zororak knew that he would come back for him and waited patiently in the room for N to leave.

N reached out his hand towards him and thanked him.

"As you know N, the electro-magnetic transmissions in badges allow you to control pokemon, they are necessary to help your friends and achieve the goal Ghestis has laid out for you." The triad said monotone.

N nodded towards the triad and was teleported to Accumula.

The triad were men with white hair and dressed in all black, the most noticeable thing about them wasn't the fact that they looked identical but rather the fact they had a mask on so that you wouldn't know who they were.

Accumula Town, a small town consisting of "lofts" and a "park" which was just really grass and benches for pokemon to go about their business.

Everything was overshadowed by the tall vertical buildings that seemed to reach up into the sky.

N forgot his mission for a moment as he looked up to the sky.

The shadow triad reminded him of what he should do and began to talk to people.

He was unsuccesful because he mostly was to close to people and spoke very fast, most had a hard time understanding him and he pouted.

He heard a rustle from a alley near two apartment complexes and found a cat in a trashcan.

N pulled some pokefood from a pouch on his belt and offered the cat some.

The cat was happy and ate the food from his hounds. N found himself to be ticklish and scooped it up in his arms.

If there was one thing that he loved about pokemon, it's that they were easy to understand.

He returned to the plaza and found some grunts talking to some of the citizens.

After a crowd of at least 12 people gathered Ghestis began his speech.

During the rant N was far more interested in the reactions everyone had to the speech.

He looked around as some had doubt and some were looking off into the distance.

Ghestis left with the grunts towards route 2 and saw some people still talking, no one released their pokemon and he frowned.

He perked up again when he saw two females chatting and approached them.

Today had been busy, many were gathered in that grassy null.

One in orange with blonde hair and a green hat looked...moody, the other wore seemed to be similar to him, she wore black and white and had long hair but she wore shorts.

_"Your Pokémon... Just now, it was saying..." He said slowly walking towards them._

_The girl in orange frowned turning towards him and the girl with long brown hair kept a calm appearance._

_"Really?" The brunette asked._

_"Yes, they're talking. Oh. Then, you two can't hear it, either... How sad. My name is Alejandro. If it's too long or exotic, you may call me N."_

"I heard you were discussing the speech and I was wondering about your opinion on confining the poor pokemon in their balls and whether or not they're happy inside-" He let the image of the two set in before noticing that both girls had a pokedex in hand.

"You're going to let them be confined without asking them?"

N pointed towards the brunette.

She didn't respond and he challenged her...His first battle as a trainer.

Purrlion lept from behind him and the girl with long hair decided to defend her friend. She sent out a Oshawott and they engaged in a duel.

* * *

><p>"...Impossible," he gasped.<p>

"...Pokemon deserve to be as free as we humans can walk! They do not deserve to be caged like animals! How can you talk to them if they are incased?"

"A pokedex is used to help communicate with a pokemon better. Look!"

She let her Oshawott speak into the pokedex and it translated it into "Yeah!"

He was physically taken back.

Unable to respond, he left on his skateboard.

* * *

><p>"Her pokemon...They liked her? Despite the fact that they battle and it gets hurt? Why...?"<p>

He shook his head.

"I need to move forward, if this doubt lingers then my goal will be forfeit."

He left the small town and headed to the gym, without type advantage to trump him, he easily beat the leader.

He was hesitant but knew that pokemon were not tools.

He let go of the Purrlion near some grass and thanked it for it's efforts.

He let the cat roam into the wild where it made friends with another cat and both left.

Neither being looked back.

* * *

><p>He lured some pokemon out of the grass near Pinwheel Forest by feeding them berries.<p>

A Timburr came out as well as a Pidove and a Tympole.

He talked to them and asked them what they wanted from humans.

Respect.

Peace.

Love.

It confused him...The purrlion only came with him because he fed it but what these pokemon wanted...Were they recently released?

* * *

><p>He solved the library puzzle, in the second gym, and challenged the gym leader.<p>

Timburr swept Nacrene's leader and she was impressed with N's skills.

She congradulated him and he felt shame.

Hurting a pokemon to gain power...

He would stop battles forever when he became champion.

Exiting the gym he saw her again.

_"The future of this region...It can be determined by a formula. I will make others see and hear my ideas!"_

"N...Don't you think that releasing pokemon is dangerous?"

"Pokemon have the potential to do many atrocities to each other and in the wild, it's natural because of the food chain. Pokemon survive by harming each other. By releasing them, you're letting the scared go back to their primal roots or worse..."

He was silent. As a vegetarian, he never imagined he might have eaten a Petilil or it's children to make a salad. Maybe it was boiled down for the tea he loved? He considered the products of his shirt," and touched it.

_Cottonee._

_He thought; "The variable I had is doubt, I understood that much but...There was a part of me that was...defiant? to admit to her that I was wrong? __Ghestis always used that word for when I misbehaved. It's in my nature?"_

He nodded to himself and looked into the girl's eyes and challenged her to a battle.

She sighed.

* * *

><p>Another loss.<p>

_Why?_

Her words...although they shattered his preconceived notions mindset; there was no way that he was going to change his mind. Not over night.

_"I will befriend the dragon I need for my goal and I will make people agree with me!"_

He left on his board again and released the pokemon to the same spot he first met them.

"Look out after each other and be safe." He told them after a hug.

They looked sad but nodded.

Something in him hurt as he sighed.

_Regret?_

* * *

><p>He befriended the pokemon within by climbing trees with them like he did in his childhood and petted them.<p>

He asked if they wanted to go on a journey and they nodded.

As he crossed the bridge on his board he was impressed with the design and math it took to make everything symmetrical and balanced.

He was taught that an object held up would collapse under it's own weight.

* * *

><p>Entering the city he noticed that it was worse than any book he had read about it.<p>

_How much land did it take from the pokemon?_

_He noticed some grunts near a boat headed for an island, maybe they wanted to make another base closer to the city or just go establish an island for pokemon?_

_He entered the gym and most of the time relied on Pansear to get the job done._

His clowns were creepy...popping out like that.

It was like the shdaow triad coming out the shadows whenever he used the bathroom...

He also needed to get the honey out of his...Everywhere later.

He beat Burgh, a man with a brown afro and green eyes, a tall prying mantis like quality to him with a green smock, magenta bandana and brown pants, using a Pansear and the bug gym leader ran off in the direction of Nacrene while yelling that he was inspired during his battle to make some art.

* * *

><p>N decided to tour the rest of the city, he still had time before he had to go and cross the desert.<p>

He listened to poetry in the cafe and went to the art gallery and he didn't find it as captivating as the libraries in Nacrene but he did like the construction going on that built interesting designs.

Bored with the city and it's tourist traps he gave his friends a treat and got them drinks from a vending machine. He left for route 4, after.

* * *

><p>Route 4 was a desert.<p>

The sand hurt his eyes and his friends.

_"Maybe a pokeball wasn't a bad idea to put my friends in...For their safety."_

He pulled his hat down.

He kept walking and kept going straight and didn't bother to look at the incomplete buildings to the side of the road.

Along the way he offered some pokemon water and a Scraggy, Darumaka and Sandile joined him on his quest.

He noticed a Sandile moving in the sand like an earthquake and it started to munch on a sleeping Duramaka. He saw a Scraggy headbutting the cactus pokemon and when they connected...He flinched.

The sight wasn't something to behold, he had to get out of there fast and looking back they made it to the next city.

* * *

><p>I<strong> gave them water from a veding machine and they hugged me. I returned the hug but I didn't try to get too attached, I had to leave them soon...This wasn't their proper habitat.<strong>

_...I was using them as a tool. I ditched them after winning a battle and I needed a dragon because my words alone wouldn't work. It hadn't worked against the girls..._

One of the pokemon pointed to a ferris wheel, it reminded me of a toy I received in my childhood from Ghestis.

_He saw it simply as an equation, the spinning and the colors...it was hypnotic._

_He used to make models of the world and recreated it from what he read. He never realized that what was missing was people. _

_He shook my head, the pokemon came first when it came to my goal._

They explored the city and listened to music within the musical, they waited for the Plasma members to report to him about _progress with finding the dragon._

Bored with waiting he decided to face the gym leader and was intrugied that this gym had an electronic puzzle.

Electronics, motors, circuits and physics, it all came to him naturally but the rush from riding a roller coaster was exhilarating!

He stepped off and his head spun for a few seconds while he caught his breath.

His pokemon were feeling sickly as well and they just sat and rested near the gym leader's sight.

She giggled and told him to take his time.

He thanked her and looked out to the machines.

It was ironic.

The very machines that took land from his dear friends were his interests.

_"I guess there would be nothing for me to like if the pokemon took the entire world..." He looked at them as they were playing with each other._

_He smiled._

* * *

><p>They rose as one and talked to her, Elesa, a tall woman with short blonde hair, headphones and wearing a yellow vest with a striped shirt and tights, she was dressed funny to N but he wasn't <em>that<em> interested.

Her gaze pierced him.

She seemed to see something beyond his irises..._His cholera?_ His mind?

**I revealed to her that I was the leader of Team Plasma. It didn't shock her but her eyebrow did rise.**

She put a hand on her hip and asked, "Are you going to stop what we're doing? I have heard from Lorena that your group has caused her some problems."

"In order for this world to be perfect, pokemon need to reign supreme once again."

She nodded.

"I respect your opinion but unless you beat me, I need to turn you into the police."

I nodded, she was being fair, even though what the grunts did was not by my command but Ghestis..._Why was he making trouble?_

The battle was fierce but it was thanks to the combined efforts of the elemental monkeys and Daramuka that the Emonga's got their wings clipped. Zebreska was no issue thanks to Sandile.

She smiled.

"I don't think a trainer who battles with trust and tact can be that troublesome." She smiled sincerely and he nodded and thanked her.

He left her gym after another ride and was used to it this time.

Upon leaving he ran into _her_ again.

* * *

><p><em>His third loss.<em>

"You're strong..._Who are you?_"

She didn't smile she looked at me...In a mysterious way.

"If you want to stop me then go to the pokemon league, I'll be waiting."

She didn't try to stop me.

I think she ran out of things to say for once.

While heading West, the shadow triad appeared.

"Do not worry, I am fine." N said while heading towards Nimbasa.

"Is there anything you would like us to do?"

"Tell Ghestis that I have four badges. I will be aquiring the 5th soon."

They left and he noticed a Swanna who's wing was cut perched on the edge of the bridge, there was no one around and he wondered if a trainer left it alone but talked to it and found out that another wild pokemon hurt it while it was flying.

He took the swan in his arms and headed towards the pokecenter.

Heavy rain poured on him, each step became heavier. As though he carried a burden that no one but only him understood.

He crossed from right to left as the rain became thicker, he didn't stop and finally arrived at the pokecenter after 4 minutes.

Swanna was given a cast and told to not battle or fly for a while but it protested and wanted to travel with him.

The Swanna looked at him and cooed.

She rubbed up against his left leg and he patted her head.

Despite the bird's injury Clay had been impressed with his determination and awarded him a badge.

N took it robotically and left the Swanna in the pokecenter, it's wing wouldn't heal in the wild if something were to attack it.

He went outside and saw one of the sages with some grunts and one of the shadow triad.

"Ghestis as ordered you to go into hiding, he wants you to stay in this city while Lord N goes on ahead to Chargestone Cave.

The sage nodded and ordered the grunts to search for an area with enough space for them to hide.

They left at once and the shadow triad teleported N to the front of the cave.

"Why couldn't you let me walk?" N asked.

"The champion of the League is here, if he were to find us, he could stop us..."

He nodded and the triad captured a Joltik and ordered it to make a web to the front of the cave. It did so and he gave it to N to use.

Ferroseeds made N nervous. They encircled him but a Bolder made them go away with a stomp of the ground except for one.

This one had it's spikes out and was staring at the Bolder.

The Joltik and N watched as they waited for the other to make a move before the Ferroseed started to spin closely towards it.

The triad gave N a pokeball and told it to use in case of danger and he nodded.

**He threw it once it's spikes were down because the Boldore was still as it edged close towards it.**

_"I was starting to understand WHY pokeballs were made. To keep away those whom weren't like the cuddly creatures. To befriend them without having to hurt anyone but pokemon aren't free if they're confined. I had to be right. I just had to." He thought at the ball returned to him._

He frowned.

_"I am safe yet it is confined. If a pokemon's appearance alone makes it dangerous maybe she is right in that releasing them is dangerous..."_

One of the gears floated towards him while he thought and it seemed to have a curious nature.

"You want to go out and explore?" He asked surprised.

The gears expressed joy by turning in both direction swiftly.

He wondered how magnets worked but knew it was as pointless as trying to figure out how crystals could be elctric and he could be safe by pushing one aside as they exited the cave.

He had a guess..."I was curious as to how rocks could be charged up but guessed that a electromagnetic flow helped them. I mean...Thunder-stones existed so why not glowing levitating rocks as well?"

They stepped out into the light at the end of the cave.

* * *

><p>With Joltik's help we swept Skyla's team.<p>

She caught up again. He wasn't confident this time, he had a grim determined look as they both sent out a pokemon.

* * *

><p><em>"Tsk. Why?" <em>He squeezed the brim of his hat.

He honestly felt guilt about hurting pokemon in battle just because of his beliefs but had to do it, he felt...Angry.

"Battles. If I had to fight with a dragon in the first place to earn it's trust, then me being a trainer was pointless and I just hurt pokemon for nothing. Yet I still needed to beat the champion..." He thought.

Then Professor Juniper and one of her friend's showed up.

He called her out on the fact that she was cramming the poor pokemon into balls just for her research.

She asked me how he was going to heal the fainted pokemon.

_Picking up a Ferroseed wasn't idea..._

She then added more to her rebuttal. By studying pokemon, it helped her understand them and their needs and wants and how to deal with them. She had a pokedex because she could use the cries to translate what they said into a language humans could understand.

He couldn't think of a response to that and left flustered.

"...I looked childish leaving in a huff like that but in a battle of wits she was somehow the clear winner."

Math variables are subjected to change the answer depending on what one must do first. His first goal was to make sure no one interfered with Ghestis' plan but someone had, again and again. Things were supposed to be simple, black and white, and yet they weren't. The people from Nuvema were a unexpected equation that was throwing him for a loop. Like the scientist who can never control the outcome of an experiment and not find the change, he pulled at his hair, why was his beliefs conflicting with what he wants?

* * *

><p>She caught up to him and pulled on his sleeve, he looked down on her and she spoke:<p>

"Last time you asked, who I am."

He nodded.

"Why don't you ask my pokemon what type of person I am?"

He agreed.

_"They never told lies."_

He spoke to her group of pokemon, all 5 of them.

"OK, OK, got it. So she was born in Nuvema, lives with her family and was given the Pokédex to start off a journey to see the world. Still, this pokémon trusts you for some reason. Excellent!"

_Did she...talk to her pokemon as well?_

That's good! If every person and Pokémon cared about one another like you two do, I could watch over the future of people and Pokémon without having to liberate Pokémon from people who just use them."

_Yet what was I doing?_

"Ghetsis is using Team Plasma to search for some special stones—the Light and Dark stone. These stones hold the essence of two legendary Pokémon. It is said that when they lost their physical form, they fell into a slumber and were transformed. Now, they wait for the hero's arrival... I shall resurrect them from those stones, and become their friend. That will show the world that I am the new hero. Everyone will follow what I say without question!"

_She smiled. Why?_

_"My vision is to change the world without using force. Trying to change the world by force will just make others resist. If people resist, the ones that will be hurt are the innocent Pokémon used by foolish Trainers. You understand. Pokémon are not just tools for people to use!"_

_"As a result... Pokémon and Trainers who care about one another, like you and your Pokémon, will be separated..." I gulped, "That does break my heart a little."_

_He turned away and left for the next route, she called out to him but he didn't want to hesitate. _

_The shadow triad returned._

"We have found one of the stones."

* * *

><p>They gave me 2 pokeballs after leaving the airport city.<p>

"This pokemon if out of it's ball might steal your soul, it almost did to a kid we liberated from." One of them said before vanishing and leaving me in front of the Ice gym.

"The other is for the next gym to give you an advantage so you can get the final badge." He said.

N slid around and solved the puzzle and in between the maze the Litwick he was given evolved.

Upon leaving the tower one of the shadow triad appeared to direct N to Dragonspire Tower.

"Can you return this Lampent to Celestial Tower and can you return the Joltik, Ferroseed and Boldore to Chargestone cave?"

He nodded and took the 4 balls and left.

He kept the gear pokemon because it was the closet to evolving into it's final form and it was strong.

He entered the tower and caught a Druggion of his own in a pokeball.

Even with food there was no way that it would have come with him, by choice. He was afraid of dragons but for good reason.

What if he wasn't chosen?

He climbed the tower and finally reached the top where one of the sages was waiting with the stone.

He entered the final room and remarked how it looked like the castle.

While it lacked the grandeur of the throne room it was made with old marble and rock, the same material.

He let the dragon stone rest on the throne and called out to it.

Soon the stone rose on it's own and slowly the room felt colder...

everything in the room froze and when the dragon landed, it roared at the wall behind it and it crumbled.

The whole tower shook and N wasn't afraid.

He smiled.

"Kyurem."

* * *

><p><strong>A.N: WAH WAH WHERE ARE THE ZODIAC DRAGONS, THIS ISN'T LIKE THE GAME!<strong>

**You will see them next chapter.**


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